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<H2><font size="3" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN
YOU BUY A DIAMOND</b></font></H2>
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<H3><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Welcome to the Van-Daaz
information center.</b></font></H3>
<P>
<FONT SIZE="2">Van-Daaz's shopping guidelines have been devised to be of use to
a wide array of diamond-curious people. Accordingly, there are two parts to the
document. Part I. contains a general and easy to follow overview of diamond's
different qualities. Part II, on the other hand, offers a more in-depth analysis
of these properties and their effect on diamond value.
<P>DOCUMENT CONTENT:
<P>PART I: * Who should read this page and why? * Short overview of the "4 C's"-
the 4 main Characteristics of the diamond gem; * diamond Shapes & Styles ; *How
are diamonds priced ?
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Part II: * In-depth study of the "4C's" (diagrams included...)
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<H3>PART I</H3>
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<FONT SIZE="2">The purchase of a diamond is a seldom event for the majority of
diamond buyers. For many about to be married it is a first-time or unique experience.
<P>Almost by definition, giving a diamond represents the celebration of a special
occasion. And as special as the occasion may be so also is the extent to which
the diamond, itself, is special in its embodiment of this event. This rarest
and most precious of gems has come to symbolize the milestones of our lives.
<P>It is fitting that the purest and most brilliant of all the world's stones
should also be the most enduring. These qualities have rendered the diamond
a perfect symbol of engagement and love.
<P>This guide is aimed at helping the one-time or rare-occasion buyers. They may
have learnt from them all there is to know about the "birds and the bees"; but,
dad (and even grandpa) are generally (and equally...) at a loss for words with
respect to diamonds! At this crucial point in one's life they are as helpless
as the buyer...
<P>Learning about the diamond's unique characteristics is an invaluable asset
when the time comes to purchase one. We hope that this page will be helpful
to you in making the proper choice when you shop for a diamond. Understanding
the trade's terminology as reviewed here may prove essential to that choice:
your purchase will be an educated process instead of a blind guess.
<P>All in all, shopping for a diamond is similar to shopping for any other quality
product of great complexity. The more you know, the easier it will be to distinguish
the ordinary from the exceptional when it comes to value for your money.
<P>The qualities that make the diamond so special -- purity, brilliance and the
effect of color-- have been translated, to an extent, into a grading system
that corresponds, interestingly enough, to their rarity and determines therefore
the diamond's price.
<P>As you might know, if you already started your shopping process, the quality
of a diamond is measured by four different criteria.
<P>The four attributes in question happen, all, to start with the letter 'C' and
are known as "The Four C's":<BR>
<UL>
<LI>The diamond's <EM>Cut</EM>, namely, the quality created through the cutting
of the raw crystal by respecting certain proportions, angels and positioning
of its different facets relative to each other. These characteristics are
created through cutting the diamond crystal into traditionally developed shapes,
proportions and styles. The Gemological Institute of America (the "GIA") has
set grading standards, albeit somewhat cumbersome to the novice, for the 4
C's. The diamond's cut is classified by the GIA as Excellent, Very Good, Good,
Fair and Poor (Recut).
<LI>The diamond's <EM>Clarity</EM>- the term used when measuring what was described
above as "purity" of a diamond. It consists of the measurement of the diamond's
unadulterated, complete transparency and clearness from blemishes. To what
measurable extent it is free of elements such as mineral inclusions, impurities,
cracks, scratches etc. that may affect the "purity" of its transparency, namely,
the diamonds clarity. The GIA grading standards for clarity start with the
extremely rare [F]lawless ("F"), proceeding to the still very rare [I]nternally
[F]lawless ("IF") which are followed by the rare "VVS1 (or: 2)", high quality
"VS1 (or 2)", good and acceptable "S1 (or 2)" and, finally "I1 (or 2 or 3)"--where
the letter "V" stands for the word "Very", "S" for "Small Inclusion (or: "impurity")"
and "I" for "Imperfection" (or, "Impurity" or "Inclusion) . You may find their
exact classification criteria in <A HREF="4CETCII.HTML" target="_self">Part
II</A> .
<LI>The diamond's <EM>Color</EM> whereby complete colorlessness is the rarest
and most sought after . Fancy, natural colored diamonds such as Canary Yellow
are coming now into vogue . The GIA Grading system marks diamonds coloration
level in alphabetical order from "D" for Colorless to "Z" for prominent hue.
<A NAME="DIAMONDSIZE"></A>
<LI>The diamond's weight in <B>Carats</B> - a traditional measuring unit derived
from the weight of the Carob seed (used in antiquity as the weight standard)
; Today the Carat is defined as 0.2 of a gram.
</UL>
<P>The universally accepted units of measurement of these four respective qualities
of the diamond were set by the G.I.A- The Gemological Institute of America.
<P>Some of these units are coded in letters which constitute acronyms (e.g., "VVS2"
for "Very-Very-Small Inclusion-Level 2" ) or stand for an order (e.g., "D" is
better than "E" etc.) .
<P><B>If you are familiar with the Four C's </B>and their measurement standards
you need not read this section. You may go straight to our <A HREF="DIAMONDS.HTML" target="_parent">available
diamonds list</A> especially if you do not wish to read the exact definitions
of the G.I.A standards. If, however, you wish to decipher the diamond trade's
intricate grading method-- you may find the information in <A HREF="4CETCII.HTML" target="_self">Part
II</A> to be of high interest.
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<P>A diamond's shape is also referred to as its "style". The diamond's shape is
NOT to be confused with its CUT: the former stands for the diamond's style while
the latter defines the quality of its proportions and polish. Traditionally
there are five shape variations . Round Brilliant; Marquise; Emerald Cut; Pear-
shaped and oval. You may choose one of those or a more contemporary shape such
as Princess-cut or Heart shape, bearing in mind that no form is more "appropriate"
than another: the one you choose should be entirely a matter of personal taste.
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<P>The most popular shape, the "Round Brilliant" is described in depth and depicted
in Part II.
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<P>A diamond's price is directly related to the combination of the four C's.
<P>A diamond of twice the weight of another is much rarer and therefore more precious
and will have a higher price per carat. The price per carat is the monetary
value that when multiplied by the diamond's weight (in carats) produces the
diamond's price.
<P>Weight also has psychological as well as scarcity value since a diamond of
1 carat or slightly higher is worth considerably more, weight for weight, than
a diamond of 0.90 carat because it has reached or exceeded the conventional
unit of the complete or full 1.00 carat. The same principle applies at the dividing
line for 2 and 3 carat diamonds etc.-as the price increases in leaps with each
complete and full carat unit. Price jumps for full and numerically "round" "stages"
are also applied to diamonds of lesser weights, i.e., a 50 points diamond vs.
a 49 points diamond is more valuable weight per weight by being a "full" 1/2
carat (there are 100 'points' in one carat. Thus, e.g., 0.50 or, 1/2 carat is
equal to 50 points).
<P>Color also plays an important role in determining a diamonds value. The price
of a diamond varies quite sharply with color. As a rough guide, depending on
market conditions, if a diamond with certain characteristics and weight of color
"H" were worth 100 units of currency another with the same characteristics but
of color "F" (two color levels higher) would be worth approximately 130 units,
while one with color "J" (two color levels lower) would be worth 80. Moves in
clarity grades will affect the price in a similar manner. As the combinations
of clarity, cut and color increases in "total score" -- their effect on price
becomes greater . However, due to the numerous different possible combinations
of Clarity, Color and Cut grading for each Carat weight size the price of each
stone is determined through the use of complicated formulas, through tables
as well as through reliance on expertise and experience .
<HR>
<H3>A Few Helpful Hints</H3>
<P>
<OL>
<LI> De Beers, the world leading diamond trading company, recommends a budget
of approximately 2 months salary for a diamond engagement ring. In their words
"...Spend less and the relatives will talk; spend more and they'll rave..."
<LI> With your budget in mind make your diamond choice based on the information
in this report. Determine what is more important for you, a diamond of larger
size with some compromise on the overall quality combination of cut, clarity
and color or a smaller diamond of higher quality and beauty. You may try to
<A HREF="CUSTMIZE.HTML" target="_parent">customize your diamond purchase</A>
through Van-Daaz.
<LI> Lower clarities with higher color allow for greater diamond weight and
are more desirable in the marketplace, however, diamonds in this category
are popular and certain shortages and price premiums exist.
<LI> Cut and proportions play an important role since they make a lower quality
diamond look good to the eye and they sharply reduces the price of high investment
quality diamonds. Cut is also the characteristic that is most neglected by
diamond salespeople in the effort of making a sale. If the diamond is not
well cut a fact which reduces the price of the diamond, the seller will emphasize
the lower price rather than discuss the improper proportions. Notice, however,
that certain tolerances apply and the diamond with good overall cut is definitely
acceptable.
<LI> Once ready to set your purchased diamond in a ring or other piece of jewelry
have it checked with a reputable gemologist, preferably one that does not
sell diamonds. This will insure a more professional grading report for your
diamond. Keep in mind that some diamond sales people will use the grading
terminology liberally in order to help sell the diamond. The diamonds shipped
out by Van-Daaz are always graded by the G.I.A, the EGL, IGI or HRD. Certification
by these labs of national scale and international repute is your guarantee
of the most objective grading possible. By being large and detached from local
business interests, and since they do not SELL diamonds, their grading cannot
be affected by the price associated with the final grading results nor by
business pressure exerted by the submitting dealer. This cannot always be
said about in-house gradings or those issued by small scale gemological laboratories.
<LI> What are your guarantees? Honest diamond dealers and institutions will
offer a full money back unconditional guarantee for a certain specified period.
( i.e. 30 days) as well as some form of partial money back guarantee for the
future. Money back guarantees insure that you are buying directly from a first
hand source that is not afraid to reimburse the purchase price since the profit
is smaller than expected and she can, therefore, easily resell the stone for
the same <EM>or higher price</EM> due to its great value; This is a direct
result of being a first-hand source .
<LI> The diamond engagement ring is very important and will help accentuate
the diamond. Quality of workmanship varies from one jeweler to the next. Paying
slightly more and obtaining better quality is a must since it is the ring
that shows up more in the final examination and observation than the diamond
alone. Good workmanship will be easy to see when being compared, so do not
try to save a nominal amount and regret your choice. A well made ring will
last longer, look richer and make you feel better!
</OL>
<HR>
<P>Read this guide again if you wish to memorize some key elements in it , examine
our <A HREF="DIAMONDS.HTML" target="_parent"> available diamonds</A> and fill
in one of our on-line, user-friendly inquiry forms.
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<H5> </H5>
<H5><A HREF="4CETCII.HTML" target="_self">[Part II</A> | <A HREF="dmenu.htm" target="_parent">
Back to our main menu</A> | <A HREF="DIAMONDS.HTML" target="_parent">Diamond
prices</A> | <A HREF="CUSTMIZE.HTML" target="_parent">Customize your diamond
to your budget</A>]</H5>
</font><P><FONT SIZE="2"> All material in all linked Van-Daaz documents is © 1995, 1997, 1998 1999
Van-Daaz. The labels Van-Daaz, Diamonds R4U, <font face=ARIAL, HELVETICA"><font size=-2><font size="2"><><>R4U!,
</font></font></font>@#1<><>! or @*<><>! or or @<><>! or @#1 Diamonds! or @
Diamonds are all™ 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
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